Grammar Schools: Good for All or a Class Apart? ; AS THE PRIME MINISTER OUTLINES HER BIG CHANGE IN EDUCATION POLICY, WE ASK: IS SELECTION THE WAY FORWARD?

Article excerpt

PLANS to lift the ban on new grammar schools have sparked a huge
debate in Greater Manchester.

Theresa May yesterday spoke for the first time about her plans to
build new schools which select pupils based on their academic
potential.

In a speech today the PM confirmed she would back schools which
test pupils on their ability, stating she wanted Britain to be 'the
world's greatest meritocracy'.

Selective schools were widely abolished during the 70s and 80s.

Trafford is the only borough in Greater Manchester where the
grammar school system is still in place - and schools such as
Altrincham Grammar Schools for Girls and Altrincham Grammar School
for Boys are seen as being the top schools in the country for
results.

But those who oppose the system, say that grammar schools create
a two-tier system and unfairly categorise children who do not pass
the tests at the age of 11 as 'failures.' .

Here's what teachers in our region have got to say about it all.

Would grammar schools work in Greater Manchester? It is no secret
that schools in our region face problems. Last year the country's
chief inspector was blunt, saying secondary schools were not 'firing
on all cylinders' when it came to pushing bright kids.

Supporters of the grammar school system say that children from
poor backgrounds are helped to make the most of their potential.

But John Morgan, NUT branch secretary for Manchester, argues that
it would leave most children behind: "The vast majority of children
who take the 11 plus will fail it."

Would grammar schools raise standards? Trafford is home to seven
of the country's 163 grammar schools - and the grammar system has
been hailed as a huge success. And the borough's non-selective
schools such as Ashton-on-Mersey School and Sale High School are
also highly successful.

Timothy Gartside, head of Altrincham Grammar School for Boys,
said there is no reason why areas cannot have both good grammar and
comprehensive schools working side by side.

"If you look at the local authority league tables across the
North West, Trafford is always at the top," he said. …